In an alternate Earth, the armies of the Imperial Alliance have ravaged the entire Europan continent in 1935 EC during the Second Europan War. In the middle of the war, the army invades Gallian territory to acquire a mineral known as ragnite. Standing in their way is a recently drafted militia officer named Welkin Gunther, son of known Europan War hero, Belgen Gunther.

Just like what asdfffdsa have said, this manga is just perfect. If only the anime followed it I would be so much happier about it.

Though, it seems that the staff at A-1 finally got hit on the head and changed Alicia back to the kind, not tsundere, girl we (the gamers who played the game) all love and know. As for Welkin, not so much. But he did improve from being clueless.

I played the Valkyria Chronicles game and absolutely loved it (I plan on starting a second playthrough tomorrow); I would say it's worth buying a Playstation 3 for the game alone. But, on the same note, while playing I noticed the game's violence and realism is toned down as to expand the potential age-groups.

This is where the manga comes in. It takes a much more serious approach to the war. The result is absolutely stunning: the portrayal of the story in this more "realistic" setting is very alluring and not at all melodramatic; the character development is worlds better than both the game and the anime; the art quality is crisp and beautiful, and remains true to the game (in terms of character appearances); there is a great balance between the action and the tranquil sequences in which Welkin and Alicia interact.

But by taking a more serious approach, this is not to say that the comedy and idiosyncrasies of the characters are done away with. On the contrary, the author manages to take what was already established in the game and supplement it in a natural and fun way--especially with Alicia and Welkin (and--unlike the ANIME--the characters' personalities are NOT completely remodeled. By this I mean: Alicia is not a hardcore tsundere and Welkin is not made so clueless and aloof that you lose respect for him (as they are, unfortunatley in the anime)). I can't wait to see where the author takes these personalities and their interactions. This new style will allow for so much more expression on the behalf of the characters, and this can only be a good thing considering the results at this point.